A VICTORIAN-FIRST community education initiative to help migrant communities learn about bushfire safety has launched in Nhill. The town’s Karen people, the Country Fire Authority, Nhill Learning Centre and The University of Adelaide have worked for about six months to produce a video in the Karen language explaining total fire bans and fire danger periods. The idea came about to address some confusion in the community about the rules surrounding these periods. Karen residents acted in and helped write the script for the film, which launched on Saturday. Country Fire Authority community engagement team member Angela Cook said the event at Nhill Cinema was incredible. “More than half the chairs in the cinema – if not two thirds – were filled by the Karen community, which is what we wanted to see as it was their film,” she said. “It's a film we made alongside them and for them. “This is the first time we’ve done anything like this, and we thank the local brigade and District 17 for listening and supporting this.” Related: CFA, Karen community combine for fire awareness initiative Mrs Cook said the community-based participatory approach used for the Nhill project would become a model for similar authority initiatives across Victoria. “We have some communities lined up to do a project around Dandenong around home fire safety, but we definitely want to look at more multicultural communities in rural areas for projects around bushfire safety,” she said. The film is available on DVD in Nhill and on the authority’s YouTube page.

A VICTORIAN-FIRST community education initiative to help migrant communities learn about bushfire safety has launched in Nhill.

The town’s Karen people, the Country Fire Authority, Nhill Learning Centre and The University of Adelaide have worked for about six months to produce a video in the Karen language explaining total fire bans and fire danger periods.

The idea came about to address some confusion in the community about the rules surrounding these periods.

Karen residents acted in and helped write the script for the film, which launched on Saturday.

Country Fire Authority community engagement team member Angela Cook said the event at Nhill Cinema was incredible.

“More than half the chairs in the cinema – if not two thirds – were filled by the Karen community, which is what we wanted to see as it was their film,” she said.

“It's a film we made alongside them and for them.

“This is the first time we’ve done anything like this, and we thank the local brigade and District 17 for listening and supporting this.”

Mrs Cook said the community-based participatory approach used for the Nhill project would become a model for similar authority initiatives across Victoria.

“We have some communities lined up to do a project around Dandenong around home fire safety, but we definitely want to look at more multicultural communities in rural areas for projects around bushfire safety,” she said.

The film is available on DVD in Nhill and on the authority’s YouTube page.